It was a hot, windy day in Southern California when a trash truck caught fire and the driver dumped the burning garbage on the side of the road. Minutes later, powerful winds blew the flames across a hillside and into a mobile home community, killing two people and destroying dozens of homes. No California law governs how trash haulers respond to a fire in their truck, leaving it to the waste industry to provide guidance.
- PUB DATE: 10/24/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: KNBC-TV NBC 4 Los Angeles

The state House has voted to exempt volunteer fire departments from Pennsylvania’s Right to Know Law, which journalists and the general public can use to request information from public entities. Supporters of the bill say it is a needed correction to a burdensome system, but opponents say it just makes the departments needlessly opaque.
- PUB DATE: 10/24/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Essential Public Radio 90.5 WESA

A free specialized plate proposed for firefighters and emergency responders was intended to be free for the duration of an individual’s volunteer service, not just for the first year, according to an opinion just issued by Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem. The opinion was sought by Senate Transportation Committee Member David Rust, R-Tioga, and House Transportation Committee Chairman Dan Ruby after questions were raised during the 2019 biennium related to implementing Measure 4, approved by voters in 2018.
- PUB DATE: 10/24/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: Williston Herald

EMS structure in urban areas varies to fit the need of the community. It is often part of the Fire Department – but may be a third service separate from police and fire – or follow a public utility model privately contracted to provide EMS services. In more suburban and rural areas EMS often follows a fourth model, with volunteers providing part or all of the EMS care in that county.
- PUB DATE: 10/24/2019 12:00:00 AM - SOURCE: JEMS.com

The Washington Emergency Management Division has launched a new online map to help local jurisdictions and the public at large figure out different languages spoken in counties and Census tracts across the state. The goal is to help local governments know ahead of time what languages they need to have emergency messaging translated into before a disaster occurs.
- PUB DATE: 10/23/2019 7:11:58 PM - SOURCE: Emergency Management